Millions Remain Available At Oncor, CenterPoint-TDU For Retail Provider Reimbursement Under Texas Low-Income Smart Device Program

Oncor and CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric filed updates concerning the program under which Texas retail electric providers are reimbursed for providing no-cost programmable communicating thermostats (PCT) and in-home displays (IHD) to eligible low-income customers.

Under the program launched in January 2015, for providing an eligible low-income customer with an eligible programmable communicating thermostat (PCT) or in-home display (IHD) at no cost to the customer, a TDU reimburses the REP for the cost of a device up to a cap of $250, with an additional 25% for administrative costs, for a total reimbursement cap of $300 per device. For PCTs only, an additional $125 is reimbursed to cover the cost of installation.

Oncor reported that about $5.5 million remained available under the program. Originally, $10 million was available under the program

CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric (CEHE), which recently reported that it had exhausted 75% of funds under the program, reported that $1.85 million remained available. CEHE had reported that only $2.1 million of the original $7.5 million was available at the start of May.